Chicken Cordon Bleu

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Truth be told I’d only had this dish a few times in life and to be honest, I don’t think I’d been served anything noteworthy. But, while going down a YouTube rabbit hole the other night, I came across a video of Chicken Cordon Bleu that looked great and started watching more and more until eventually adding things to my weekly grocery list. Turns out with the right ingredients, this dish is more than noteworthy. In fact, I think you’ll find that it’s one of those dishes that is far simpler to put together than it looks on a plate which means you’ll be able to easily trick your next dinner guests that you’re a world class chef.

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU (Makes 4):

  • 2 large (or 4 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 to 1 ½ lbs in total)

  • Dijon mustard

  • 4 slices of prosciutto (about 3-4 oz)

  • 3-4 oz Gruyère cheese, thinly slices

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • ½ cup fine bread crumbs

  • ½ cup flour

  • 3 TBS canola oil

  • 5 TBS butter

  • Salt and pepper

  • Parsley, chopped (for serving)

  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon (for serving)

GO FOR IT

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU:

  1. If using 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half to create 4 equal filets (or skip if using 4 smaller breasts)

  2. Sprinkle chicken with salt then, one filet at a time, place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound using a mallet until no more than ¼ inch thick while also doing your best to pound into a square

  3. Brush 1 tsp of dijon mustard (don’t use too much)

  4. Place slice of prosciutto on top of mustard, followed by a layer cheese, leaving room on the edges to fold 2 side in and then rolling the breast to create a roll with cylinder shape

  5. While preheating oven to 375°F, use 3 bowls, create a station with flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs (mix in 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper with breadcrumbs)

  6. Using one hand for wet ingredients, and other for dry, roll chicken in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs

  7. Using oven safe skillet, heat 3 TBS canola oil and 3 TBS butter over medium heat

  8. When heated, cook chicken in skillet for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown

  9. Before placing in oven, add remaining 2 TBS of butter and use a spoon to baste chicken, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes

  10. Remove from over and serve with parsley, lemon zest, and lemon slices

NOTES:

If you don’t have a mallet you can pound your chicken using the bottom of a heavy pan. Otherwise, you just want to make sure your chicken breast isn’t so large that it overwhelms all other ingredients. This is why I suggest slicing breasts in half depending on size.

When cooking in skillet before placing in oven, just watch your heat. Too much heat and you’ll not only burn your butter but your breadcrumbs as well.